19/06/2020 The world is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis, and tourism is one of the worst affected sectors globally. According to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), international tourism fell by 22% in the first quarter of 2020 and this decline could extend to 80% throughout the year. This plunge is not a direct
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17/06/2020 In December 1995, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously endorsed Turkmenistan’s unique status of neutrality. Thenceforward the status has defined and guided its foreign policy, broadly characterised by the principles of non-interference and non-participation in any military associations and alliances. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of such an occasion, this article considers the origins, evolution
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16/06/2020 One year into President Tokayev’s Presidency, we can already observe some of the recurring themes that are defining his Presidency in the major policy speeches he has delivered – including the State of the Nation Address, speeches made at the meetings of the National Council of Public Trust and international fora such as the
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10/06/2020 Ever since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, China has had a different approach than the European Union (EU) on how to combat the virus. As the EU is an economic and political union, health protection and healthcare systems are a responsibility of the EU Member States. Therefore, slightly different approaches in fighting the
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09/06/2020 As COVID-19 continues to make itself felt throughout the world, it is becoming clear that some states, and furthermore, some regions are affected differently and at different times. Despite many of the CARs (Central Asian Republics) bordering directly with China, it took roughly two to three additional months for it to be transmitted to
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08/06/2020 On 7 May 2020, the European Commission presented: An Action Plan for a Comprehensive EU policy on preventing money laundering and terrorism financing A revised methodology for listing high-risk third countries A new delegated act identifying 12 additional countries with strategic Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) deficiencies. This delegated
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03/06/2020 The China-Pakistan relationship is described as “higher than the Himalayas, sweeter than honey and stronger than steel”. Both sides trumpet CPEC (the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) which is arguably the crown jewel of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Behind the rhetoric of “win-win” cooperation, a sober analysis shows that this gargantuan task comes with
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21/05/20 In the fall of 2019, the EU-Japan Partnership on Sustainable Connectivity and Quality Infrastructure (hereafter the EJCP) was signed, building on the already existing agreements between the two countries: the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The EJCP signals a push for greater cooperation between the two actors. One thus
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29/04/2020 Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s Communist Party (CCP) has quickly tried to turn this crisis into a geo-economic opportunity, swiftly moving the attention from being the source of the virus to the one offering solutions. In the process, Beijing has been employing soft power tools such as mask diplomacy. Seizing the
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22/04/2020 The Asia-Pacific landscape has lately been the theatre of further competing hegemonic visions resulting from China’s ‘great power’ status pursuit and the US’ subsequent ‘rebalance’ towards Asia. China’s rise has not only been questioning US global leadership and its role as security guarantor but also enabled China to assert increasing political and economic influence
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